Indian shot putter fails doping test

[July 26, 2016]  By Sudipto Ganguly

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian shot putter Inderjeet Singh said on Tuesday he has been notified by the national anti-doping agency (NADA) that he has returned a positive test for banned substances in his A sample.

Inderjeet, who won the gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in 2015, told local television he had been informed of the failed test late on Monday and that all his earlier tests had been negative.

The shot putter, who won a bronze in the 2014 Asian Games, is the second Rio-bound athlete from the country to fail a doping test after wrestler Narsingh Yadav tested positive last week for a banned steroid.

Yadav has claimed his supplements and water had been 'sabotaged'.

Inderjeet also alleged foul play was behind the positive test and said he was being punished for his outspoken nature.

"My sample has been tampered with," he told NDTV.

"This will be checked by the doctors though. I don't want to comment on it but whoever has tried to raise their voice in this country, they are forced to shut up."

The positive test is the latest setback for Inderjeet, whose efforts to have his coach included in the delegation for Rio have been rebuffed by the country's athletics federation due to the limited number of places available under the quota.

Inderjeet Singh of India competes in the men's shot put final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, August 23, 2015. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Navin Agarwal, the director general of NADA, told Reuters an athlete's A sample had tested positive.

"The athlete has been notified and given the right to get his B Sample tested," he said, without identifying the athlete.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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